Rhode Island, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Providence, R.I. (May 25, 2021) – Global awareness campaign, Shades for Migraine®, teams up with two rising social media influencers, YouTuber, “Footless Jo", and pop singer, Sophia Gonzon, to shine a light on the true impact of migraine disease.
Shades for Migraine (SFM) creates buzz around migraine by asking people to wear a pair of sunglasses on June 21 (Migraine Awareness Day) to support the 1 billion people worldwide living with the disease. The campaign challenges people to post a photo in sunglasses on social media with #ShadesForMigraine and encourage others to participate.
Meet The Shades for Migraine Spokespeople
Youtuber, Jo Beckwith and singer/songwriter, Sophia Gonzon are speaking out about their migraine experiences to help normalize talking about invisible diseases and raise awareness through Shades for Migraine.
Beckwith has created an online community of over 200,000 people after sharing her experiences with assault, amputation, abuse, and chronic pain. While her amputation is the only ailment that can be seen, ironically, her invisible illnesses are more debilitating.
“Though I’ve gone through the experience of losing a limb, living with migraine has still been exponentially more challenging. Finding a way to balance having an actual life while fighting through migraine multiple days a week has been exhausting,” said SFM spokesperson, Jo Beckwith.
Sophia Gonzon was 16 years old when her first single, Daddy Issues was released. Her song has now amassed more than four million streams/views. Sophia’s migraine journey escalated after severe bullying incidents which led to PTSD and chronic daily migraine. She’s also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, arthritis, anxiety, and depression.
“After a major bullying experience in 9th grade I got a migraine, and it never seemed to go away,” said SFM spokesperson Sophia Gonzon. “The migraine attacks caused so much severe pain, I couldn’t function at all daily. I became disabled.”
Putting A Face To Migraine Disease
Migraine is an invisible disease, because you cannot see its effects. From the outside, one would never know Beckwith and Gonzon are debilitated by migraine. While they are deeply impacted by migraine and other conditions, both Beckwith and Gonzon have built impressive careers and have grown communities of people who are empowered by their experiences.
“It’s so important to stay positive,” said Gonzon. “I want to continue to write and record music to inspire, raise awareness, empower, and motivate people to keep going.”
To set up an interview, contact Molly O’Brien at molly@migrainedisorders.org. Medical spokespeople are also available. Access press materials at www.ShadesForMigraine.org/Press.
Shades for Migraine is sponsored in part by Amgen/Novartis, Abbvie and Eli Lilly.
About Shades for Migraine
Backed by a coalition of 50 international organizations, Shades for Migraine is a social media challenge and awareness campaign that was started by the Association of Migraine Disorders in 2017. The campaign strives to give people the platform to speak out about the true impact of migraine in an effort to educate others and eliminate the stigma associated with the disease.
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